Harry Potter and the Missing Pieces
by Amara Mizuki
Summary: During Bill and Fleur's wedding, over the summer, Harry's thoughts are still drifting to the horcruxes: the ring, cup, book, locket, etc...but at the wedding, he spies a possibility for another. Is it real? Harry's running out of time. book 6 spoilers
1. Preparations

As Harry turned to look at himself in the mirror, he began to have mixed feelings. Today was the day of the big, Weasley wedding; Fleur and Bills' to be exact. The whole family was invited, along with a few close friends.

As Harry straightened his tie, something in the mirror moved. He spun around to face nothing but thin air.

_Calm down, Harry, you're just nervous. You've never gone to a wedding before, take a breath. Breath, _Harry thought to himself, _just turn around and go pack your things._

When he turned around he saw that he was, indeed, alone. So he slowly walked over to the bed and started to put his belongings into his trunk.

"Hey, Harry."

The voice sounded so suddenly that Harry whipped around and thrust his wand at the intruder. When he came to his senses, he saw that it was just Hermione.

"Jumpy much? And get that wand out of my face, if you don't mind," Hermione said, stepping into the room.

"Sorry, I'm just hoping everything will go alright. Since Dumbledore died, I don't feel very, let's put it, safe," Harry exclaimed, taking a seat on Ron's bed.

For the first time in the last five minutes, Harry actually focused-in on what Hermione was wearing. She had on red dress robes underneath her cloak, and her hair was smoothed back into a bun. She looked the way she had their fourth year, at the Yule Ball. Everyone had had to take a double-take to see if it was, in fact, her.

"Harry? Earth to Harry!" Hermione called, waving her hand in Harry's face.

Harry, now realizing he had been staring at her, quickly looked away and felt his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment, "Sorry, sorry, just thinking of something."

With that, Harry stood and walked over to the mirror, once again, to make sure he had everything right for the ceremony. As Hermione watched Harry struggle to put on his tie, she couldn't help but stifle a giggle when his hands got tangled in. Still laughing, she got up and walked over to him.

"I take it you've never worn an actual muggle tie before?" she asked rhetorically, giggling again as she untangled his fingers from the cloth, "don't worry, I used to watch my dad put his on at the table, in the mornings, before school started."

As she pulled the tie over Harry's head, the back of her hand brushed his neck. Feeling her cheeks redden, she quickly looked to see if Harry had noticed the touch. Harry had noticed, because when she looked at him she made eye contact. Blushing even more, she apologized.

"Sorry, didn't mean to. Anyways, ready to go? Ron's probably sitting anxiously at the kitchen table, wondering what's taking us so long."

With that said, Hermione headed for the door. Harry, however, stood rooted to the spot.

_What was that feeling, just a second ago? I mean, she's just Hermione; my best friend, nothing more, right?_

Harry could hear a distant voice calling his name and as he came back to reality, he could tell that it was Hermione. Then he felt the soft touch of her hand, as she tried to gently pull him out of the room.

"You can't be that scared, can you? I mean, it's just a wedding."

Then, with Hermione in front, pulling Harry impatiently, they headed downstairs to get Ron.

When they finally reached the kitchen, Ron almost barreled into them, "What in the world took you so long!" he demanded immediately, "We're going to be so late. Mum's gonna-"

"What am I going to do, Ronald Weasley?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she rounded the corner into the kitchen.

"I, uh…I…" Ron froze in mid-sentence, thinking of the right thing to say, "ummm…you're going to be glad to see us all ready to go!" He explained with a big grin, slowly inching towards the door.

"Yes, I'm glad you're all ready; very surprised, actually," Mrs. Weasley said.

Harry, Hermione and Ron looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

"But, Ron dear," she continued, "we don't have to leave for another hour, or so."

Then noticing Harry and Hermione were also ready, she added, "Oh, you poor dears, sorry about that! Ron's just anxious to get going. Head outside, relax, and when we're ready I'll call, alright?"

Mrs. Weasley finished by turning from the stove to look at them all, once again.

"Yes, thanks Mrs. Weasley. We'll be out back!" Hermione called, grabbing Harry and Ron by the hands and pulling them out the back door, only to find Fred and George de-gnoming the garden.

"Hiya, Ron; Hermione, Harry. Looks like you're all ready to go. Ron, did you get stressed-out again? Honestly, making them get ready this early," Fred laughed, tossing a gnome over the fence. Shaking his head at Ron's worried expressions, he went on, "Ron, Ron, Ron. You need to pull yourself together. Its not like you're the one going to get married today, though, by the looks of it, you would certainly qualify as a groom," he eyed Ron's tuxedo-looking dress robes.

"Yeah, you sure would. Calm down a bit, there, Ron. It's just a wedding. You've been to one before, remember?" George broke in, while taking a seat at the picnic table, "it was out Aunt Sally's wedding. You must've been, like, eight or nine years old. It wasn't that long ago."

"Yeah, you're right, but do you remember what happened the last time!" Ron exclaimed, while starting to pace again.

"Hermione grabbed Ron by the shoulders and pushed him towards the table, "Ron, you need to relax. You were only nine years old the last time you went to one. I couldn't have been that bad."

"Oh, yes it was, now that you mention it. I can see why he might be nervous," Fred said, laughing again.

"Not funny, Fred," Hermione looked up from Ron to give Fred an angry glare.

"Oh, it's not like we did anything to him. We just happened to witness it," George said indignantly, "Ron had a little misunderstanding with one of the guests and was turned into a real-life version of the muggle show, "My Little Pony" I think it's called…In return, they all laughed and teased him about it. It wasn't one of our better family outings. Mum had to take us home early, just to make sure Ron didn't get into any more trouble."

"Oh, that's awful! Believe me, I've seen that show…Ron, I'm so sorry. I can see why you're scared to go. Don't worry, you're sixteen, right now; almost seventeen. You've changed. You never know, he may not even be there today. You can't possibly know that."

The group sat in silence until Harry finally spoke up. They all jumped, having nearly forgotten Harry was there, for his lack of comment during the conversation.

"In a way, I know how it feels to be treated like that at a social event. When I was younger and Mrs. Figg couldn't watch me, I was dragged along to a wedding for a cousin of mine; muggle, of course. My aunt and uncle have never liked the, er, magical side of the family. I was wandering around when I thought I heard someone talking to me, so I turned quickly to look and ran right into some tall, thin man I'd never met. I hit him hard enough that he fell flat on his front. When he got up, he came over to me, picked me up by the collar and said 'who the hell are you, running into me like that! You good-for-nothing piece of shit!' After that, he threw me as hard as he could against the nearest wall," as an afterthought, he added, "I had the biggest bruises I can remember."

Before he could notice the looks of pity on their faces', Mrs. Weasley could be heard calling for them because it was time to go.


	2. Travel Time

_How?...why?...this can't be possible…how can I possibly have feeling for Hermione?...just last year…I went out with Ginny…I liked her…even kissed her…so how?...why?..._thoughts re-played themselves over and over in Harry's mind; reminding him about the scene back at the Weasley's house. _Maybe…maybe it's just…a friend thing…everyone generally has some sort of feeling for their friends…right?...maybe that's what I felt…just maybe… _

"Harry...Harry? Hello, anyone home in there?" Harry snapped back to reality to find Ron's hand waving lazily before his face.

"Sorry," Harry said, sitting up and turning his gaze away from the window to look at Ron. "I was just thinking about something."

"You sure, man?" Ron asked, giving Harry a questioning glare.

"Yes, I'm good. Don't worry.) With that, Harry gave Ron what he hoped looked like a reassuring smile and returned to the window.

The car became silent once again, except for the occasional whispering of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and the low humming of the car the Weasley's had rented. Since they couldn't apparate everyone and the building where the wedding was being held had no fireplace to use floo power, the car was their last resort.

Harry preferred this method of travel more then any other because the fact that he had grown up with this being the only source of transportation unless you rode your bike, took the bus, or walked. The wedding is being held at one of the local taverns in hogsmead.

"Mrs. Weasley, how much longer till we arrive?" Hermione asked. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin, having forgotten that she was also in the same car. She had been so quiet, reading her book, that Harry had forgotten she was there. When he heard her stifle a giggle, he turned to look at her.

"What are you giggling about?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You, Harry. You're very jumpy today it seems. Just relax." She then smiled at him before returning to her book. As Harry turned to face the front of the car, he noticed that Ron looked very confused. Shrugging his shoulders, he mouthed to Ron that he would explain later. Ron signed and turned back around in his seat.

"We're here!" Mrs. Weasley rang out as their car pulled into an empty lot. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other rather confused.

"Umm…Mrs. Weasley, this is an empty parking lot…" Harry said as he looked out his window.

"I know, dear, but since Hogsmead is a wizarding town, you can't very well drive a car to it." Laughing, she climbed from the car, "We'll have to do a bit of walking though. Hope you dears don't mind."

"No, we're good, Mrs. Weasley. Thank you," Hermione broke in before Harry or Ron had a chance to argue.

"Alright then, let's go. We don't want to be late now do we!" with that, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley walked ahead followed closely behind by Fred, George, and Ginny. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stayed towards the back, keeping their distance.

The three of them walked for a while in silence, just thinking, until Harry finally spoke.

"I hope that nothing happens at the wedding today, "he said, pulling his hands out of his pockets. Hermione and Ron looked at each other before either of them spoke.

"What do ya mean man?" Ron asked, hoping for a reply.

"I mean, I hope that Voldemort doesn't try to pull anything, now that Dumbledore's gone and there's no one here to protect me against him. He'll now have a chance to kill me without fear of being stopped…" Harry's voice trailed off as a single tear rolled down his cheek, "I don't…just…"

"What do you mean there's no one here to protect you! What about Ron and I? We're here for you, we always have been and always will be, no matter what happens," Hermione replied, taking Harry's hand in hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze before continuing, "Harry, Ron and I will never leave your side, even if you try to push us away."

"Yeah mate. We're here until the very end." Ron said, slapping Harry on the shoulder.

"Thanks." Harry smiled, giving Hermione's hand a squeeze making sure she knew he understood.

"For now," Hermione mentioned, "there is a wedding to attend and let's make the most of it, alright?"

"Sure," Harry and Ron replied in unison.

Hermione smiled as they continued to walk towards their destination. _I wish…for once in his life…_ Hermione thought to herself. _he could live without the fear of losing someone close…or knowing someone is out there ready to kill him…I wish just for once…he could have a normal…carefree…life…_

Hermione felt a slight tug on her hand which brought her back to reality. She then realized she had stopped moving and had been staring at Harry the whole time she was thinking to herself. Blinking, she blushed.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry asked, taking a step backwards to stand at her side.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about something."

"You think too much, 'mione, "Harry laughed as he pulled her forward.

Ron, now realizing they weren't with him anymore, called out to them, "Oye, why did ya stop!"

"Sorry Ron! It was my fault. I dropped something out of my pocket, "Hermione called, blushing again.

"We're coming, Ron! Don't worry. You, right now, have more important things to worry about then us, "Harry yelled as he grabbed Hermione's hand more firmly and began to run. Hermione, caught off guard, nearly tripped over her own feet.

_Since when does he call me 'mione! When…did this happen…_she thought as she tried to keep up with Harry.

The next thing she knew, she was lying on top of Harry, whose face was buried in the grass. Realizing she had tripped, she quickly got off him, blushing.

"I am so sorry, Harry!" Hermione cried, helping Harry to his feet, "I'm just not "here" today."

When he had finally gotten to his feet, she could help but laugh at the sight he presented.

"What! Is it that bad?" he asked, staring at her.

"Well, let's put it this way, you look like you just faced a mountain troll," Hermione laughed, "Here, let me help you." Hermione muttered a cleaning charm and Harry looked as good as new.

Looking flustered, Harry apologized profusely, "No, no, I was my fault you fell though. I shouldn't have made you hold my hand while running like that."

Adding to Harry's embarrassment, he heard Ron call from a distance, "Oye! You two love birds! Quiet wrestling with each other and get over here!"

Laughing, Harry and Hermione finally caught back up with Ron. Before Ron had a chance to continue teasing them, they arrived in Hogsmead.


	3. Wedding Suprises

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the HP characters that are used my story. **

**Any comments on this chapter or ideas for future chapters, please feel free to tell. Thank you. **

"There you are!" came a women's voice from behind them. Turning around, they saw that the voice belonged to Mrs. Weasley who had just rounded the bend huffing and puffing with a worried expression written upon her face, "I have been looking all over for the three of you! Where have you been?"

"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley, we had some difficulties keeping up with you," Hermione responded blushing.

"I'll say…." Ron muttered, narrowing his eyes.. He then stopped himself from continuing on when he saw the glare written upon Harry's face.

"Well, all that matters is that you're safe. Now, the wedding will begin in about a half an hour, alright?" Mrs. Weasley said, looking from one face to the other before continuing, "Ron, Dear, since you're Bill's brother, he has asked for you to be one of his groomsmen along with your other brothers, okay?"

"Erm………..ok?" Ron replied, gulping as his face turned chalk white, "What do I do?"

"Everything will be explained inside. So, I want you to get an outfit from Galinda, who is in the dressing room just down the hall from the chapel. Now run along." Mrs. Weasley said, laughing at her son's expression.

Harry and Hermione each gave Ron a hug before he turned and started towards the church. He looked as though he had just been drawn out of a hat to participate in the Triwizard Tournament. Harry and Hermione laughed to themselves before returning their attention back to Mrs. Weasley.

"Now, I want you two to go and find some seats for yourselves. Arthur and I already have our own, at the front of the room, so we will see you after the ceremony. Have fun dears. Talk to you later!" With that, Mrs. Weasley turned and rushed over to help a group of witches, who seemed to be carrying all sorts of different flower arrangements.

"So….what would you like to do for another fifteen minutes or so?" Harry asked, watching Mrs. Weasley, who was trying to carry a handful of lilies through the church door.

"Well, how about we walk around the town for a little bit. We haven't been here since school ended and I really miss it," Hermione replied, looking down the street at the many Hogsmead's shops.

"Okay then, let's go," Harry said as he took Hermione's hand and pulled her further up the street. One shop after another went past before Hermione came to a halt, causing Harry to stumble backwards. Harry looked down and noticed that her eyes were locked on something in the store or perhaps the window. Glancing upwards, Harry saw that they were outside a small jewelry store and that there were quite a few people rushing in and out.

Stepping closer, Hermione bent forward, cupped her hands over eyes, and pushed up against the window. Squinting, her face dropped and she gasped.

"What? What is it?" Harry asked, leaning in for a closer look.

"Do you see that girl standing over there by the back door, talking with the woman holding the necklace?" she replied.

Looking in the direction Hermione had mentioned, he noticed a young girl with long, reddish-brown hair. She seemed to be interested in the necklace the woman was holding out for her. As Harry watched, he saw something that he hadn't seen before.

When the woman handed the girl the piece of jewelry, he saw what looked like a crest of something that seemed quite familiar to him. When the girl had lifted the piece from the woman's hands, he saw that the crest belonged to Ravenclaw.

"Do you see what I see?" he asked.

"If you mean the necklace with the crest of Ravenclaw, then yes. Since when did they sell items that represent the houses of a particular school other than the school robes?" Hermione said, stepping away from the glass and raising an eyebrow at Harry.

"I don't know, but what if that is one of the Horcrux's," Harry said, letting out a long sigh.

"I don't know Harry but you should keep a close eye out for that girl, she could mean trouble if messed with."

"We just can't get through a day without something suspicious happening or worse," Harry replied, chucking to himself, "but anyways, let's get back to the church. The wedding bells are starting to ring. We still have to find seats, remember?"

"Yeah, you're right," Hermione sighed, "let's go then." With that, they rushed back down the street to the church. Upon reaching the door to the chapel, they stopped to catch their breaths. Laughing, they headed inside.

"Where do you want to sit? Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are over there," Harry said, pointing towards the front of the room. Glancing around, he noticed a couple of chairs on the opposite side, "How about those?"

Looking in the direction Harry was pointing, she nodded her head. As they headed for their seats, Harry noticed for the first time how many of the guests were a member of the Weasley family. Taking his seat, he turned to Hermione, who seemed off in her own little world. Harry knew that when ever her eyes became glazed over that she was thinking to herself.

"What are you thinking of, 'Mione?" He asked, waving a hand before her face.

Snapping back to reality she sighed, "I was just thinking about…." Hermione stopped and began to blush, "umm…never mind."

_He'd never understand…I should let it go …what if he doesn't return the feelings …I can't face that yet…_Hermione thought to herself. As she turned to face Harry once again, the organ began to play the familiar wedding tune. Everyone turned around in their seats to see, one by one, the groomsmen and bridesmaids walk out hand in hand. The couples started with Charlie, who was accompanied by Gabrielle, Fleur's sister. Then, out came Percy, who led a cousin of Fleur's up to the front. Fred and George were the next two groomsmen to come out and Fred happened to be holding hands with Ginny. Harry and Hermione couldn't help but laugh because both of them looked as though they would rather jump of a cliff then hold each others' hands.

Finally, Ron was the last one to come out, since he was the youngest. When he entered the room, his face became ghostly white and he tried his best to smile. The young girl next to him, Harry recognized immediately.

"Hey, isn't that the girl we saw today at the jewelry shop?" Harry asked, turning to Hermione.

"Umm…" she started. As the couple grew closer, Hermione could make out that is was indeed the girl they saw fore she was wearing the necklace with the Ravenclaw crest the saleswoman had given her.

"Who is she?" She asked, looking at Harry, "She doesn't look like a cousin of Fleur."

"I don't know, but something seems out of the picture. Maybe after the ceremony and we're at the reception, I, if it's alright with you, could go over and try talking to her. The women in the shop looked a little suspicious too," Harry said before turning back to the door in which Ron had just entered.

After a few moments, Bill walked in along with Mr. Weasley, who accompanied him to the Alter. Then everyone let out a soft gasp as Fleur and her parents walked through the door. Fleur was dressed in an all white, diamond encrusted, strapless wedding gown. As she came further into the chapel, the guests could see that her train was being held up by four house elves. As soon as Hermione saw them, her face dropped.

"What--" Hermione began but was silenced when Harry put a finger to her lips.

"Shh…don't worry about the elves okay? They're just helping her, there's no harm in that, right?" He said, pulling his finger away, "Let's just enjoy the ceremony and then you can worry about whether or not the elves were forced to help."

Hermione glared at him and grunted. Harry let out a laugh, and Hermione couldn't help but laugh with him.

_This is just stupid…I should be having a fun time…_Hermione thought.

"You need to stop thinking so much, 'Mione. It's not good for you," Harry said, a grin forming on his lips. Hermione, smiling herself slapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Ouch, that hurt," Harry teased, poking Hermione's waist making her jump a little, "So, you're ticklish."

"Noooo….umm…" Hermione started, but stopped because she knew she had lost. Scrunching up her nose at Harry, she turned back around in her chair and crossed her arms in defeat.

Once Fleur had gotten to the Alter, the Priest stepped forward and began the ritual. Bill was the first to recite his vows, and then, tears streaming down her face, Fleur read hers. Finally the moment had come to unite the two as husband and wife.

"Do you, Bill Weasley, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the Priest asked.

"I do."

"And do you, Fleur Delacour, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"Then by the power that state has granted me, you are now pronounced husband and wife," the Priest said, "You may kiss the bride."

The Chapel filled with cheers as soon as Bills lips connected with Fleur's. Hats were thrown in every direction and confetti popped out of several wands, covering the newly wedded couple as they walked out the door. After they had left, things grew quiet as one by one, people began to leave.

Getting to their feet, Harry and Hermione made their way over to where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing. As soon as Mrs. Weasley, whose face was covered in tears, saw them, she pulled each of them into a long hug. Then, smiling, she wiped away her tears.

"I'm so happy! Our boy is married at last! Now I can't wait till the rest are married and living happily," she said, "Now, did you two enjoy the ceremony?"

"Yes, we did. Congratulations," Harry said, giving Mr. Weasley a firm handshake, "Where is the reception being held?"

"Umm…I believe at Hogshead, down the street," Mr. Weasley replied, "But for now you three, as soon as Ron comes out of the dressing room, can run along and look around the town if you'd like."

Just as Mr. Weasley mentioned Ron's name, Ron entered the room. He looked somewhat back to normal, but was still a little white in the face.

"Hey…" he said.

"You were great up there sweetie!" Mrs. Weasley squealed, pulling Ron into a huge hug.

"Aaaa…..thanks mum," Ron mumbled into her shoulder.

"Hey, you were great up there mate," Harry replied, slapping Ron on the back.

"Yeah, you did well, Ron. Though you have to admit, you looked kind of funny when you walked in. You looked as though you had just seen a ghost," Hermione giggled.

"Yeah, well you probably would have been just a scared as I was," Ron mentioned, giving Hermione a glare.

"Okay, you three," Mr. Weasley interrupted, "Why don't you run along now and we'll meet you in the Hogshead in about an hour since they still need to set up."

"Okay," Hermione said, grabbing hold of Harry's hand. As soon as she did so, Ron grunted and rolled his eyes. He then turned and walked out of the room.

Looking from the Weasleys to Harry, Hermione said, "Umm…Let's go then. See you later Mr. and Mrs. Weasley!" With that, Hermione dragged Harry through the front doors.

Once outside, she squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sun light, "Now where did he go?"

Glancing around, she found him trudging down the street by himself. Letting go of Harry's hand, she took of after him.

"**What was that? Do you have a problem!**" Hermione yelled, yanking Ron aside into an alleyway.

"**Ouch! **What was that for?" Ron asked as he collided with the wall.

"Don't give me that crap! Why did you roll your eyes and groan when I took Harry's hand!" Hermione said, growing red in the face with anger. Then it hit her; Ron still liked her. Backing away, she brought her hand to her mouth with a gasp, "You still like me, don't you?"

Ron slumped back against the wall, blushing slightly, as he regained his composure.

"Why didn't you say something?" Hermione asked, tears forming in her eyes, "I thought that you had gotten over me since you had Lavender last year. I'm so sorry"

"I had Lavender but that didn't mean I liked her," Ron said.

"Ron, I'm really sorry, but like I said, you never told me. By the time summer came, I had moved on. Now, I don't want this tot affect our friendship, you and Harry are the world to me. You know that right?"

Sighing, Ron replied, "Yea, I know. You're the only friends that I've got anyways. I'm sorry for acting like such a jerk back there, so can you forgive me?"

Hermione smiled as tears fell down her face, "Oh, Ron!" she ran up to him and gave him a hug.

"Now then, why don't we have some fun? This is going to take a bit of work, but I'll get over it, okay? Remember, if you need me, I'll always be there for you," Ron said, wiping tears from her face, "let's go and get Harry, then, shall we? He looks kind of lonely out there."

"Yeah," Hermione said, giggling, "don't mention this to him, alright?"

"I won't, don't worry."

Once they reached Harry, Hermione gave him a huge smile and took his hand in hers.

"Everything alright?" he asked, glancing from Ron to Hermione.

"Yep, everything's fine, mate," Ron said, slapping Harry on the back.

"Alright then, should we go and take a look at that jewelry shop were that girl was earlier and see if we can find anything?"

"Sure, that's a good start," Hermione replied than noticed that Ron was looking at them with a puzzled expression written upon his face, "Sorry. You remember the girl you walked in with at the wedding?"

"Yeah," Ron answered.

"We saw her earlier in this shop," Hermione said, pointing at the shop they stopped next to, "A saleswoman inside handed her a necklace with the crest of Ravenclaw on it. We think it may be a Horcrux."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked, glancing over Harry's shoulder into the shop window.

"Yeah, we think so at least," Harry replied, "let's go in, shall we?"

"Okay," Hermione and Ron answered in unison.

Entering the store, they walked around, glancing at the various different rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces. Soon they came to the case where they had seen the girl earlier. As they looked through the glass, a woman's voice sounded from behind the counter.

"Well, well, well. How can I help you Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley? I'm sure there is something I can help you with, since the **two of you** were here earlier looking through the front window," the woman said, pointing to Harry and Hermione.

Harry looked at Hermione and Ron then back to the women behind the counter, "How do you know our names?" he asked.

"I've watched you three walk up and down this street numerous times, waiting to see whether you would come in or just keep walking. Not to mention the scar on your forehead, Harry. By the way, why were the two you looking through the window rather then coming in?" she replied.

"We saw something and we really didn't have time to come in and check it out, so that's why we came back," Hermione said, "There was a young girl here earlier buying a necklace from you?"

"Yes, there was a young girl. She bought a very expensive necklace, if I might add. Was there something that you would like to know?"

"Yes," replied Hermione, "Why did it have the crest of Ravenclaw on it? I thought it was forbidden to sell items other than school robes?"

"You are not entirely right, Miss Granger. It is not illegal to do so, however, the practice is not often done because some people see it as disrespect to the founders to put their hard up for sale. We got that particular item a few years back, from a family who had lost their home in a fire. Since they needed money, I offered to buy it from them at a fairly hefty price. I was surprised that the ministry didn't come to claim it, but what is most strange to me is that it sat in this very case until today, when that girl showed up. I remember how she had entered the shop and walked straight to this very spot. I had never seen the girl before and I thought it was quite odd when she requested the necklace. She said that she wanted to wear it at a wedding she was going to, today. So I told her how much it would cost, and surprisingly she had the money to buy it. Where does a girl her age get that kind of money?" the woman replied, thinking to herself.

"I don't know, but thank you for the information," Hermione said, "I promise that the next time one of us comes in, we will buy something. Thanks so much, Ms…"

"**Mrs.** Rose," the women replied, "Thank you dears and have a wonderful day!"

As soon as they were outside, Hermione spoke, "So if the woman had no idea where the necklace came from, our last resort is the girl. The only way we can talk to her is at the reception."

"Well, Harry could go and talk to her," Ron mentioned.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Well, I know for a fact that she wouldn't mind. She saw you in the crowd and said she couldn't wait to talk to you at the reception." Ron replied.

"Well, then, I guess I could talk to her for a **few **minutes," Harry said, looking at Hermione who seemed frustrated.

"Yeah, I guess. It's the only way we can find out," Hermione mumbled.

"Well, speaking of the reception, it's been about an hour so I think we should start heading back," Harry said, taking Hermione's hand.

"You're right, mum and dad would be very upset ifwe didn't show up." Ron said, laughing to himself.

So, walking side by side, Harry, Ron, and Hermione trudged off to meet the rest of the party at Hogshead for refreshments and cups of Butterbeer.


	4. The Necklace

When they reached Hogshead, they looked around in awe. Unlike the wedding, which was based on a traditional muggle wedding, it was alive with tons of excitement and plenty of magic was being used.

"Wow…" Harry gasped, glancing to his right to find a pair of wizards playing wizard darts. Every time one of them would hit the board, the board would open in the middle to relay the score. As Harry stared at them, the board spoke.

"Young man, would you like to join this very exciting game of darts?"

"Uh…no, no I was just watching. Eh…maybe later…" Harry said, looking from the couple to board with wide eyes.

"Suit yourself; I'll look forward to seeing you later. All right, who's…?" Harry walked away at that point, dragging Hermione and Ron with him.

Spotting an open table off in the far left corner of the room, he headed towards it. Once there, Harry plopped down on the cushion and scooted inwards so that Hermione could sit next to him. Ron sat across from them but before anyone could say a word, a young lady walked up to their table.

"Excuse me?" the young lady said. She had long, flowing black hair and piercing blue eyes, "Would you three like anything to drink?"

Hermione was the first to speak, "Yes please. I would like a Butterbeer."

"Me too!" Harry and Ron said together.

Laughing, the lady replied, "All right, I'll be back in a moment. If you need anything else, just holler. The name's Anastasia."

As the trio watched the lady disappear behind the kitchen doors, Harry spotted a reddish-brown haired girl, immediately knowing who she was.

"Uh…excuse me for a moment…" Harry said, motioning for Hermione to get up.

Harry smiled at the two before turning around and walking towards the girl.

Once Harry reached her, he tapped her on the shoulder, "Excuse me, miss…"

The girl turned around and he was suddenly looking at a pair of gentle, lavender colored eyes. It took a moment for the girl to register who he was and when she did, her eyes grew wide.

"Hello. The name's Harry, may I ask what yours is?" Harry asked, extending an arm out.

"My—my…name is… Th—Thomasina…" she said, looking down at Harry's hand.

"Hello Thomasina, that's a pretty name. Would you care to dance?" he asked, smiling.

Instead of saying yes or no, she took his hand and he led her to the dance floor.

Harry placed a hand on her hip while the other stayed in her hand, as the two started to twirl around the room.

"So, Thomasina, are you a cousin of Fleur's?" Harry asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Well, technically no, but I was adopted by an aunt of hers. Ever since, she has been considered a cousin to me. When we were little, Fleur and I, despite our age differences, would play together every chance we got. So when she told me she was getting married, she asked me to be one of her bridesmaids," Thomasina said, looking up into his eyes. Thomasina continued with her story as more and more guests appeared on the dance floor.

"I hope he gets the information quickly!" Hermione muttered while glaring in Harry's direction. As she continued to watch, she caught his eye. Harry looked at her and smiled. "Oh…like that's supposed to make me feel any better. You just wait!"

"I'm pretty sure he can't hear you, Hermione," Ron said, as Hermione once again scrunched her nose in Harry's direction before turning her attention back to Ron.

"I didn't like the fact that he just got up and walked over to her without telling us where he was going…" Hermione said, putting her face in her hands.

"Hermione, he wasn't trying to get you upset. He was doing what he had to; remember that we have to find out how she got that necklace," Ron whispered, staring across the table at her.

"You're right, I need to focus on the matter at hand; not let my feelings get in the way. What bugs me, is that she picked that certain necklace…I guess all we can do is hope that Harry gets a decent answer out of her…" Hermione sighed, returning her gaze to the dance floor.

"Have you ever tried to find out who your real parents were?" Harry asked, as more people surrounded them. Waiting for a reply, Harry noticed that some of the witches and wizards were dancing in the air above them, while others, who were dateless, danced with talking brooms, coats, and even the talking dartboard from earlier. Chuckling to himself, he returned his attention back to Thomasina.

"Well, I heard that they had died in a car crash…" Thomasina said, shifting her eyes back and forth nervously.

Harry raised an eyebrow and was about to say something when he decided against it. Instead, he said, "That's a beautiful necklace…it has the symbol of Ravenclaw on it. You know that it's a symbol of one of the houses at Hogwarts, right? Where did you come across that?"

Harry watched once again as Thomasina shifted her eyes before she spoke. "I…uh…I bought it from a store in town. I saw it and I thought it was lovely. Will you excuse me?" she said, as she turned to go.

Just as she started to walk away, Harry grabbed her arm. "Where did you get that necklace!"

"It's none of your business!" She screamed causing the people around them to look in their direction.

Thomasina tried to yank her arm free, but Harry wasn't letting go. As she once again tried to leave, she pulled his arm hard enough to cause him to stumble forward. Losing his footing, he fell, taking her down with him.

"Get off of me!" Thomasina screamed, trying to shove his body off of hers. By this time, everyone had stopped what they were doing to see what the commotion was.

Getting on his knees, he straddled her hips. Then, he pinned her arms to the floor, and bent forward.

"Where did you get that necklace!" he yelled into her face.

"Get off of me! Leave me alone!" she yelled, trying to push him off.

"Harry, what are you doing!" came a female voice from the back of the room.

He looked up to see that Hermione was the one who had spoken. Before he could say anything, Thomasina began kick her feet, thrashing them side to side and up and down.

"Ron! Help me!" Harry yelled.

Ron ran forward and knelt beside Harry. Looking up, he searched Harry's eyes for what to do next but Harry spoke.

"Get this necklace off of her while I try to stop her from kicking!" Harry said, turning around.

Ron nodded and proceeded to unclasp the necklace from around her neck. Finally after several attempts, as not to be bitten, Ron succeeded.

"I got it!" Ron exclaimed, just as Mrs. Weasley came running up to them.

"Harry! What are you doing to that poor girl! Come on, get up this instant!" she cried.

Just as Harry moved to stand up, one of Thomasina's feet collided with the side of his head, sending him to ground.

"Harry!" he heard Hermione scream. Harry glanced upwards and saw her silhouette rush to his side just as darkness consumed him.

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Harry awoke to the sound of voices frantically trying to calm people down.

"It's all my fault!" He heard Hermione say. From the sound of her voice, Harry concluded that her face was a few feet above him.

"Hermione, it's not your fault," said Ron's voice from the opposite side of them.

"Yes it is! If I hadn't seen that girl in the jewelry store, he never would have talked to her! Yes Ron, I know it sounds like I'm making a big deal of it but I still believe it was my fault," Hermione's voice said.

Harry then felt her hand it his. She rubbed it and Harry soon heard her sniffle.

"Ron? Why did this have to happen! Why!" Hermione cried.

"Hermione?" Harry finally whispered.

"Huh?" she said, looking down.

"It's not—your—fault," Harry whispered, squeezing her hand with what ever strength he had left.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed, throwing her arms around him. Soon the sound of feet could be heard rushing towards them.

"Hermione? What is it?" came Mrs. Weasley's voice.

"She's—just glad—to hear—my—voice…" Harry gasped, his eyes still closed.

"Oh Harry! You're all right! Thank goodness!" Mrs. Weasley said, grabbing Harry into a huge hug.

"Uh…Mrs. Weasley? I—can't—breathe…" Harry said, gasping for air.

Setting him down again, Harry finally opened his eyes and looked up at Hermione. Reaching up, he placed on hand on her cheek.

"Don't ever let me hear you say that any of this was your fault, got it? I don't care if it sends me to the hospital; none of it is your fault. That goes for you too, Ron!" Harry said, slowly sitting up.

"You don't have to worry about me, mate," Ron said, looking across the table at him. "By the way, I got the necklace from her…"

Harry watched as Ron slide the necklace towards him. "Where did she go?"

"Some of the Adults have her in a booth on the other side of the room. They're trying to calm her down," Hermione said.

Before either of them could say a word, Harry rose from his seat and began to make his way across the room; stumbling a few times. Harry finally made it to the table in one piece.

"Excuse me? But can I please speak to Thomasina for a moment. Alone?" he asked, looking around the table. Everyone moved out and headed towards the bar as Harry slid into the seat across from her.

"Look I'm really sorry…I shouldn't have acted that way…I thought your necklace was one of the items I was looking for. What prompted me to act like that was the fact that you were lying to me…I could tell in your voice and eyes. So I grew suspicious. I never meant to harm you, Thomasina. And for that I'm truly and deeply sorry," Harry said, hanging his head.

Thomasina stared at him for a few moments, not uttering a sound. But finally she grasped his hand with hers, causing him to look up at her.

"Listen Harry, I'm still upset that you pinned me to the floor, but I'm sorry I lied to you. That is something I shouldn't have done. I just didn't want you to think badly of me," she said.

"Why would I think badly of you?" Harry asked.

"The necklace; I did buy it at a shop in town…"

"Yeah, I knew that fact before I talked to you. Hermione happened to see you in the store before the wedding…"

"All right, but the way I found out about it is a little creepy. I was eating at a local diner in London and this guy came up to me, introduced himself and sat down. He told me about this necklace and said that if I brought it to him, he would pay me lots of money. I needed the money in order for our family to stay where we were, so I said I'd find it and bring it back to him."

"What did this guy look like?" Harry asked, becoming slightly interested.

"He had long blondish hair, carried a cane that had a serpents head on the top…" Thomasina said, looking up at Harry.

"Luscious…" Harry muttered, clenching his fists.

"I hope you can forgive me for lying to you," she said, glancing down at the table.

Harry grabbed her chin gently and lifted her head. "I forgive you, but promise me that you won't make the same mistake again? He is definitely the wrong guy to mess with. Thomasina, where are you going to school at?"

"Well, I'm transferring to Hogwarts this year…is that where you go?"

"Yes, that is where I go. Promise me that you'll come talk with us when you arrive…"

"I promise…" she said.

Smiling, Harry stood and returned to his seat. Sitting down he picked up the necklace in his hands and stared at it.

"What did she want, Harry?" Hermione asked, sounding concerned.

"She mentioned that a guy with long blonde hair, and a cane with a serpent on it, said that he would pay her so she could help her family. I believe that man was Luscious," Harry said.

"What made him choose her?" Ron asked.

"I don't know but I know one thing for sure, she's coming to Hogwarts this year…" Harry mumbled, flipping the necklace over in his hand.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked

"Yep, I'm positive…hey look at this," Harry said, holding out the necklace so that Hermione and Ron could see.

"It's the initials R.R…I wonder who that is…" Ron muttered to himself.

"R.R…R.R…Who was the founder of Ravenclaw?" Hermione asked, looking up at Harry, whose eyes grew wide.

"Rowena Ravenclaw…"


	5. Twins?

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to update. With it being senior year and all, (I am now offically a college freshman) I was very busy, plus the fact my editor was being lazy, lol. So I decided that I was going to continue on without her if she didn't help, lol. It's not very long, sorry about that, but I can promise you that the next one will be longer. Thank you all for being patient with me. I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible! Enjoy! --**

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Harry, Hermione and Ron sat in silence for a moment or two before Hermione spoke up.

"Are you sure it's Rowena Ravenclaw?" she asked, leaning back in her chair.

"Well, how many people do you know who have the initials R.R?" Harry replied, flipping the necklace over and over in his hand.

Ron stayed silent and stared off into the distance, oblivious to the fact that his friends were trying to get his attention. Harry sighed and kicked Ron from below the table.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" he cried, turning to glare in Harry's direction.

"If you were paying attention to us, I won't have had to do that," Harry stated, "Besides, we've been saying your name for the past two minutes now…"

"Oh…" Ron bowed his head and sighed, "Sorry…"

"You're fine, but try not to zone out the next time, or I won't fill you in on anything," Harry laughed, "It's no use getting worked up over a necklace right now, and we're supposed to be having fun, right? So let's join the crowd and talk later. How does that sound?"

Hermione smiled, "Sounds like a great idea. My mind, I guess, needs a break at least once in a while…"

"Wow…" Harry gasped.

"What?"

"Nothing, just never thought that Hermione Granger, of all people, would say a thing like that," Harry teased, extending his hand out to her.

After Harry had pulled Hermione to her feet, he looked back over his shoulder to find Ron hadn't moved from the table.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Go on ahead; I'll catch up with you guys later, alright?"

Harry was going to say something when Hermione suddenly yanked him forwards. Harry gave Ron one of those "hurry up" looks before disappearing into the crowd. Just as the two approached the floor, Thomasina stood and exited the shop. Harry was about to go out after her, but Hermione stopped him.

"Harry, don't worry about her, okay? I'm sure she'll be fine," Hermione said quietly, wrapping her hands around Harry's neck.

"But-" Harry protested, slipping his hands around her waist, resting them just above where her butt would have been below her dress.

"No buts, come on, let's dance," Hermione replied.

Harry tried again but Hermione placed a finger against his lips. He sighed and drew her closer to him. The night slowly dragged on as they continued to dance, but Harry just couldn't keep his mind off of what had just happened. Had she really bought the necklace for money? If so, then why did she hesitate to answer his question?

Hermione sighed and placed a hand upon his cheek, bringing him back to the present. Harry smiled weakly and pulled her even closer, allowing her to rest her head upon his chest. As the night drew to an end, Harry watched as Thomasina reappeared and headed for the back room. Before she disappeared around the corner, she glanced quickly at her surroundings. That was odd, what was she up to?

"Hermione, wait here for a moment, I have to use the restroom, okay?" he asked, looking down at her.

Hermione nodded and watched as he made his way to the back of the building. Harry came to the corner and peered around it. Making sure the hallway was clear, he began to move slowly, almost sliding along the wall. When he reached the restrooms, he heard something, almost like sobbing coming from the girl's restroom.

Glancing behind him to make sure that no one was coming he entered the bathroom and peered around the wall. Standing by the sink, with tears streaming down her cheeks, was it Thomasina? But something didn't seem right. Didn't she have long, reddish-brown hair? This girl had short, curly black hair and she was wearing a long black cloak which was wrapped around her shoulders tightly. Why hadn't he seen this before, when she entered?

Harry tried to move forwards, being as silent as he could, but managed to kick the trash can that was in front of him. The sound caused the girl to turn around quickly and glance towards the door. Harry snapped back and threw himself against the wall. Why did he have to kick the can!

"Hello? Is anyone in here?" she called out, her voice slightly shaking.

Harry rolled his eyes and realized that he could not hide forever, "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you…"

Harry stepped out from around the corner and smiled weakly. The girl gave him a confused look, and then shrugged it off.

"What are you doing in here? You do know this is the girls bathroom right?" she asked, taking a seat on the bench beside the sink.

"Well, I actually thought you were someone else…but anyways, why were you crying?" he asked leaning against the wall.

The girl looked down at the floor and sifted her feet and tried to think of what to say. Harry saw that she really didn't feel like talking, and sighed.

"Hey, its okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"

"Really?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Really."

Just as Harry finished his statement, the door behind them swung open and they could hear heels approaching fast. Harry paniced and darted into the stall just as he was shutting the door the person came around the corner. Harry watched the girl's feet stop in front of the stall he was in. Then he heard a voice.

"This one is locked, is anyone in there?" she asked politely.

Harry's eyes shot wide open and a loud sigh escaped his lips. It was Hermione. What was he going to do? Climbing down off the toilet, he unlocked the door and swung it open. Hermione jumped and turned around.

"Harry?" she asked, her eyes wide, "Why are you in here?"

"Long story…" Harry started, scratching the back of his head and grinning stupidly, "Um…I'll be out side, sorry about all this—"

"I thought you said you had to go to the bathroom, Harry? You didn't lie to me, did you?" Hermione asked, giving him a stern look.

"No, of course not…I was on my way to do that, when I heard her crying. So, I came in to see if everything was all right. That's all there was to it…" Harry smiled, _'Yeah right, like I would tell you that I came here on purpose…' _

"Oh…" Hermione sighed, looking from Harry to the girl and back again.

Harry laughed and waved good-bye before disappearing around the corner and out the door. Once he was out of hearing range, he relaxed a little. Who was that girl? She looked just like her, but…her hair…? Someone ran into Harry's shoulder, causing him to come back to his senses.

"Sorry…"

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run into yo-Harry!"

Harry snapped his head forward at the sound of his name. Standing before his, was Thomasina. Harry blushed slightly and straightened his shirt.

"Hey…I have a question for you…" Harry asked, rather slowly.

"What is it?"

"Well, I know this is going to sound weird, but were you just in the girls bathroom, crying?" Harry muttered, looking away.

"Uh…no, why?"

"Well, you see there was a girl crying in the bathroom, so I went in to see if she was all right…The weird thing was that she looked just like you only with short, black hair…This probably-" Harry stopped when she noticed her eyes had grown awfully large, "What's wrong?"

"Is she still in there?" she asked frantically.

"Yea, I think so-wait! She's right there, Hermione is with her…see over there!" Harry said, pointing towards the back of the room, "Hermione! Over here-whoa!"

Harry had barley called out Hermione's name when Thomasina sprinted past him, her heels slapping against the floor as she ran. When she reached Hermione, she grabbed the other girl by the arm before yanking her out the door that led into the garden. Hermione kept walking towards Harry, confusion written upon her delicate face.

"What was that all about?" she asked, once she was standing next to him.

"I don't know, I told her that I had run into a girl that looked just like her in the bathroom and she got really nervous. I was going to ask her if she was all right, but she took off…" Harry replied, "Stay here a moment…"

"Oh no I'm not, I'm coming with you. I want to know just as much as you do…" Hermione protested.

"Fine…" Harry sighed, and they headed towards the back door.

Looking around them to make sure that no one was watching, they slipped through the door. It was dark outside and the only light was from the moon overhead. Everything was strangely quiet, not even the music from the reception could be heard. Harry felt Hermione grab his arm and he smiled to himself. Carefully, they walked forward, trying not to make the slightest sound. The last thing they needed was to scare them off.

After several minutes, Hermione tugged on Harry's arm, "Where did they go? They're not here…"

"I don't know. Where could they have-oh…" Harry sighed, as realization dawned on him, "Apparition…well, we can't do anything now…come on…let's go back inside. I'm sure Ron is getting bored, unless he found something to do, which I highly doubt."

Hermione giggled and started for the door, Harry right on her heels. They re-entered the room to find the room to be empty. Hermione turned to Harry, who in turn could only shrug his shoulders. Walking further into the room, they headed for the front door when someone nearby let out a blood curdling scream. Harry spun around and was almost knocked off his feet by a kid with blonde hair, who Harry recognized immediately.

"Malfoy…" Harry growled.

Malfoy halted and looked back. Upon seeing Harry, he broke into a run and before they could do anything, he had disappeared out the door.

"Stay here!" Harry shouted, taking off after him.

"But—" Hermione began but Harry wouldn't have heard her anyways.

Turning around, Hermione moved quickly in the direction of the scream. Rounding the corner that led in the back hallway, she noticed a young woman lying on the floor. Rushing to her side, Hermione knelt down and almost screamed herself. She knew the woman from somewhere, but couldn't put a finger on it. She bent over to see if the woman was still conscious when the woman's eyes snapped open.

"Help me…" the woman tried to say, but nothing came out.

"What happen—" Hermione began before stifling a scream; the woman's stomach was gaping open and blood was beginning to puddle around her.

Hermione went to grab for her wand when she realized that she had left it back at Ron's on the kitchen table, "Goddamnit!"

She looked back down at the woman and realized that she was slowly losing consciousness. Hermione looked her in the eye and told her that she need to stay awake. Tears where now beginning to fall down her cheeks and she tried the best she could to stop the bleeding.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME! PLEASE! ANYBODY! PLEASE, HELP ME!" Hermione screamed.

She was about to give up hope when she heard footsteps. Turning her head, she noticed a certain red head, and she was very thankful that he was there.

"Charlie!" Hermione cried, "Charlie, over here!"

Charlie turned and once he noticed Hermione, he rushed towards them, "Hermione, are you all right?!"

"Yes, I'm fine, but she isn't!" Hermione nodded to the woman.

"What happened to her?" he asked, laying the woman flat on the ground.

"I think it was Malfoy…" Hermione gasped, trying her best not to look at the blood.

Charlie nodded and removed his wand from it holster upon his waist. He then placed it over the wound and muttered a spell, in hopes that he could heal her enough to make it St. Mungo's. In a matter of seconds, the wound was healed fairly well, allowing the woman to regain some of her consciousness. Charlie lifted her up and looked down at Hermione, motioning for her to stand up as well, but just as she rose to her feet, she began to sway.

"Hermione!" Charlie cried, as Hermione began to slip towards the ground.

"Ugh!" came a soft grunt.

Charlie looked behind her to find Harry had caught her just before she hit the floor, "Harry, she's a little weak from the blood—my God! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine…Malfoy got away! You go ahead and get that woman to safety, I'll bring Hermione..." Harry gasped, struggling to keep Hermione up.

"But—" Charlie began.

"JUST GO! Please, just go…I can handle this…"

Charlie wanted to protest, but decided against it, seeing as it would only cause more trouble. With a nod of his head, he took off down the hall and disappeared around the corner. Harry sank to his knees, trying to hold onto Hermione. With what strength he could muster, Harry began to slowly drag Hermione across the floor, every so often collapsing into the wall.

Just as they reached the next room, Ron rushed forward and grabbed Hermione from Harry's arms, "Bloody Hell, Harry, what happened to you?"

Harry ignored his question, "Hermione is fine, she just happened to see to much blood…she'll…be…"

"Harry?" Ron whispered, watching as his friends eyes began to roll into the back of his head.

Charlie, who just entered the room, looked at Ron who spoke, "Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh…Harry…catch him!"

Charlie dived to the floor and caught him just before Harry's head hit the ground, "Whoa…we need to get these three to St. Mungo's and fast!"


	6. Voldemort

**Hey! Sorry about the long wait! -- Finally, my editor finished correcting the chapter and now it is finally uploaded, lol. Whew...this was a long chapter (at least to me --) and I wasn't sure what exactly to do, but I think it turned out all right. So, please comment on it and let me know what you think or if you have any questions or suggestions. Okay, enough of me, enjoy the chapter! --**

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"_Harry Potter…" a voice hissed through the darkness, "I'm coming for you…"_

_Harry awoke, lying face down in a pile of dirt, his scar aching tremendously. He rolled over slowly to find Ron and Hermione huddled over him with worry etched upon their faces. Groaning softly, He sat up, making sure not to move too fast, so as not to end up back on the ground._

"_Harry, are you all right?" Hermione asked, staring into his eyes, hoping that he had only been dreaming, "You gave us quite a scare with all that moaning and shouting."_

"_Yeah, mate, you almost gave us a heart attack…" Ron added, "What happened? Who's coming?"_

"_Huh?" Harry asked, slightly confused._

"_Harry, what's going on?!" Hermione exclaimed._

_Harry took a moment to gather his thoughts, remembering back to the dream…or was it another vision like the one he had of Mr. Weasley? Shaking his head, Harry looked up at her, trying his best to keep a straight tone of voice._

"_He's coming…" was all Harry managed to say._

"_When you say he, you mean 'he' as in You-Know-Who?" Ron asked, eyes widening a pinch as he took a step back from them to think._

_Harry was just about to reply when his scar began to burn, only this time, more severely. Slapping a hand to his forehead, Harry let out a startled cry before falling to the ground where he began to twist around in agony. Just as Hermione was reaching out to comfort Harry, he stopped._

"_Oh, thank god!" Hermione sighed in relief only to, moments later, let out a terrifying scream._

"_Hermione!" Ron shouted, rushing to her side._

"_H-Harry…?" Hermione breathed, staring down into Harry's face._

"_Harry? I'm sorry but Harry is not here right now, would you like to leave him a message?" a sinister laugh protruded from Harry's lips, "No…? Then…perhaps this shall do! Avada Kevada!"_

"_RON! NO!!!!" Hermione screamed, watching in horror as the bright green light hit Ron square in the chest, flinging him backwards into a nearby tree, where he slid to the ground, never to move again, "Ron…please tell me this isn't happening! Harry, you have to wake up! Don't let Voldemort control you! Harry!"_

_Hermione got to her feet and began to slowly back away from Harry, towards Ron's lifeless body, while still watching his every move._

"_Poor, little mudblood…such a pity that it has to end this way, and just when I was beginning to enjoy myself…" Voldemort sneered, "Too bad Harry isn't here to save you!"_

"_No, PLEASE! Stay back! Stay back!" Hermione yelled, wand pointed at the Voldemort's or, rather, Harry's chest, ready to use at any time. _

"_Too late for pleas…I gave you two plenty of time to give Harry to me and save yourselves…but in the end, you failed to do so…and to think I pitied you," Voldemort snickered, a wicked grin spreading across his face, "Well, too late for that…you're going to end up like your little friend here…have you said your goodbyes yet?!"_

_Hermione stared back, rooted to the spot in fear. _

'_**Come on, Hermione! Move! You have to move!**__' she thought to herself._

_Voldemort laughed, "So sad…argghh!"_

_Hermione looked on, confused by the sight before her. Voldemort was crying out in agony as Harry clutched the sides of his head with his hands. Then, to Hermione's utter surprise, Harry's voice sounded, "HERMIONE! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"_

"_STOP! You can't do that! You're under my control!" Voldemort screeched, "STOP!"_

"_PLEASE, HER—NO! Get back where you belong!" Voldemort forced Harry back and regained some of his previous control, "You're going to die, Granger!—NO! LEAVE HER ALONE!—Too late, Harry my boy!"_

_Voldemort shook his head and turned sharply so that he was facing Hermione once again. Raising his wand, he shouted, "AVADA KEVADA!"_

_Hermione, who was still rooted to the ground, had no time to react. The spell hit her in the chest, which sent her into the air; falling to the ground with a sickening thud several feet behind Ron._

"_HERMIONE!"_

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"HARRY!" Harry heard someone shouting while his whole body began to shake.

Opening his eyes, Harry realized that he was lying down upon a bed, in a room with lots of equipment. Letting his eyes focus, he glanced up to find Ron standing over his body, fear etched upon his face. Shakily, Harry rose up to a sitting position and breathed out a heavy sigh. It had only been a dream…but it had seemed so real! He thought he had lost them forever, only to find out that they were still alive and healthy.

"Harry?" Ron's voice brought him back to his senses.

Looking up, he gave Ron a nervous smile, "Sorry…"

"What happened? I was sleeping in the bed next to you and the next thing I knew, you were screaming Hermione's name at the top of your lungs…like she had died or something…"

At that, the color drained from Harry's face. Realizing this, Harry quickly tried to cover it up, but it was already too late, Ron had seen it, "Harry, what did you dream about?"

"Nothing…" he lied, "Nothing, Ron, I can't even remember if I had been dreaming at all…"

"Harry, you're not very good at lying…you know that…" a soft voice whispered from behind the curtain.

Harry snapped his head to the right to find Hermione emerging from the other side. To Harry's relief, something, almost like a huge weight, was lifted off his chest. To hear her talk and to see her standing before him put him at ease. Hermione smiled and took a seat on the edge of his bed, taking his hand in hers.

"How do you know I'm lying?" Harry asked, gaining his voice back.

Hermione giggled, "I just know things like that, that's all…anyways, there is something that we would like to ask you about—"

"If it's about the dream, I really don't want to remember that right now…" Harry said, looking between the two at a glass of Pumpkin Juice sitting upon the counter—oh how he hated that stuff.

"No, it's the reason why you're here…" Ron said plainly, sitting down in the chair next to his bed.

"What do you mean?" Harry acted, trying not to talk about it.

"You know what we mean, Harry…What happened between you and Malfoy?" Hermione asked, squeezing Harry's hand ever so slightly.

Harry bit his lip, trying it find a way out of this conversation, but sighed when he found none, "Malfoy and I?"

"Yes, that's what I said…" Hermione responded, "What happened after you took off after him is what we're looking for…"

"I followed Malfoy to the Three Broomsticks, but when I entered, he was gone. Madam Rosetta told me that she had seen him run off in the direction of the bathrooms, which were located in the back of the place. So, coming back cautiously, I walked into the bathroom to find Malfoy hunched over the sink…"

"Eewww! What was he there for?" Ron practically screamed, "Getting ready to puke?"

"No, he was crying…"

"CRYING!" Hermione and Ron chanted together.

"What was he crying about?" Hermione asked, cutting Ron off before he could start.

"I-I don't know," Harry stammered, "I wasn't able to ask him…"

Ron and Hermione raised eyebrows at each, but said nothing, letting Harry continue.

"I hadn't even gotten to the first stall when Malfoy whipped around and shot that spell at me. But by the time I could move, he was gone," Harry sighed, looking from Hermione to Ron and back again.

Harry was about to continue when a knock on the door interrupted him. A few moments later, the three of them could hear the sound of heels clicking against the floor as the person grew closer to the curtain surrounding Harry's bed.

"Excuse me," a female voice sounded from the other side, "Harry, are you decent?"

Harry looked down at himself, "Yeah, I'm good…"

"Good…" came the response before the curtain opened to reveal a doctor with short, curly, dark brown hair, "Good afternoon, Harry, I'm glad to see that you are up as well as you Hermione. Now I would like to check Harry to make sure everything was healed correctly so, if you two don't mind either stepping out in the hall or at least on the other side of the curtain, then I can get started."

Hermione gave Harry's hand another squeeze before she followed Ron through the curtain. The doctor then turned to Harry and asked him politely to stand up for her. Smiling, Harry attempted to rise to his feet, but since he hadn't used his legs in a couple of days, they gave out on him, sending his towards the floor. The doctor reacted quickly and steadied him against herself.

"Okay then, that didn't work the way I wanted it to…" she sighed, letting him sit down on the edge of the bed, "Hold on."

Harry nodded and watched as she pulled her wand from the inside of her white coat. Smiling, she placed the tip of it on Harry's knees before muttering a charm, which instantly caused Harry to laugh. It tickled! A moment later, the effect disappeared and she had Harry try, once again, to stand up. This time, Harry was successful.

"Ah, that's more like it," she smiled, "Alright, now if you'll be lift your arms up and down for me…"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you think Malfoy was crying about?" Ron whispered to Hermione as they sat quietly behind the curtain.

"I don't know, I didn't think he could cry…" Hermione stated, shrugging her shoulders, "But whatever he was crying about must've upset him pretty badly."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"All right, Harry, we're all done," the Doctor exclaimed, smiling down at Harry, "You are free to go, but you must stop at the front desk to let them know you're leaving. Just because I say you left, doesn't mean you actually have, got that?"

Harry nodded, and with a flick of her wand, the curtains surrounding Harry flew open, startling Ron and Hermione, who were standing mere inches from the opening. The Doctor bid them farewell, and quietly left the room. Turning to Harry, Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"Are you ready to go, Harry?" she asked, walking towards him.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Harry responded.

Gathering all his personal belongings, the three left the room and headed for the front desk, where Harry told them he was free to go. With a wave goodbye from the all-too-friendly nurses, the trio exited Mungo's. Once they were outside, Hermione turned to them and spoke.

"I think we should go back to your house Ron…I think your mum would like to know that we're alive."

"Good idea…Mum will be glad to know that we haven't disappeared…" Ron sighed, looking down the deserted street before them, "Well, we might as well get going…I don't like it here at the moment…it gives me the chills, as though someone is watching us…"

Hermione rolled her eyes though, deep down, she was thinking the same thing. She grabbed the boy's hands, and the three apparated to the burrow. Arriving seconds later, they noticed that the house was awfully quiet.

"Where is everyone?" Harry whispered, looking at Ron.

"Don't look at me, mate…" Ron began, glancing around the room, "I'm just as clueless as you are…hold on, I hear something…"

Ron quietly moved towards the entrance to the main hallway. Putting his ear to the door, he could make out muffled voices beyond. Motioning for Harry and Hermione to follow him, he slowly opened the door and led them through to the back of the house. As they grew closer, the voices began to increase in volume. Finally, the trio reached the kitchen, but to their surprise, no one was there.

"That's strange…I could have sworn I heard voices…" Ron said, slightly confused.

"You're not hearing things, Ron, they're out back. Look out the window and you'll see for yourself," Hermione stated, pointing towards the kitchen window.

Hermione was right. The Weasleys were outside sitting around the picnic table, seeming to be discussing something, but none of them could hear what they were saying. With a glance towards Harry and Hermione, Ron led the group out the door. Mrs. Weasley, when she noticed the three walking towards them, quickly jumped to her feet.

"Ron! Harry! Hermione! Oh, you are all right!" she exclaimed, pulling each of them into a bone crushing hug, "We have been so worried about the three of you!"

"Well, we're just fine…" Harry muttered, as he waited for Mrs. Weasley to release him.

"Mum, would you let Harry go? You're crushing him," Ron groaned, trying to pry Harry from Mrs. Weasley's monstrous grip.

"Oh, sorry, dear, I'm just so glad to know that you are all alive," she smiled, placing her hands upon her hips.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione whispered, looking at the ground.

"Yes, what is it, Hermione, dear?"

"Uh, what exactly happened at the Wedding? What, I mean, is—" Hermione began.

"Nothing!" Mrs. Weasley said rather sharply, "Nothing happened dears, now just go back inside and head upstairs…"

"Mum! That's no way to talk to—" Ron attempted.

"Enough! Nothing happened that concerns the three of you, okay? Now run along, I don't want to hear any more about this, do you understand me?" Mrs. Weasley huffed, looking from one to the other.

"Yes…" Hermione pouted, disappointed that her question hadn't been answered, "We'll be going now…"

Hermione turned and slowly began to make her trudge back to the house with Harry and Ron following closely behind. Once they were inside and out of ear shot, Hermione growled, slamming her fist into the wall. Harry and Ron looked at each other and took a step backwards.

"Hermione, is everything okay? Just because she didn't tell us what happened doesn't always mean something terrible happened…" Ron muttered, ready to bolt in the opposite direction if she pounced at him.

"Ron, are you that blind?! Of course something bad has happened…why else would she try and kept it a secret?" Hermione snapped, turning to send an icy stare in his direction.

"S-sorry…I-I was…"

"Look, Hermione, Ron could be right, which doesn't normally happen…no offense Ron…but you don't have to take it out on him," Harry stated, preparing for the blow that was surely to come.

Hermione's face softened a little, "Sorry, Ron, I didn't mean to take it out on you…but doesn't it seem strange to you that she wouldn't tell us?"

Harry and Ron looked at one another before Harry broke the silence, "Sure we're curious Hermione, but there is nothing we can do about it, okay? So…let's just go upstairs to Ron's room. We can discuss more up there…"

Hermione nodded and led the way to the foot of the stairs where she motioned Ron to go ahead of them since it was his house. Ron rolled his eyes dramatically before ascending the staircase. Once inside Ron's bedroom, they decided to sit on the floor since Ron's bed wasn't big enough to hold the three of them together. When they were all settled, Harry suddenly remembered the woman Hermione had been trying to help at the wedding.

"Hermione, what happened to that woman you were trying to help? Is she all right?" he asked, leaning back against Ron's dresser, which wasn't all that comfortable, since the handles were digging into his back.

Hermione thought for a second before answering, "Ah, she is doing fine now. As soon as she arrived in Mungo's, she was under intense surveillance to make sure everything was healed properly. She was released yesterday, actually, but you were still sleeping...Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering, since I remembered you helping someone…ah!" he gasped, smacking himself in the forehead.

"Harry!" Hermione cried.

"Why'd you do that mate?" Ron asked, slightly bewildered.

"Hermione, are you feeling all right? I know that sounds stupid, but I should have asked you sooner…" Harry muttered, looking anywhere but Hermione.

"That's all you wanted to ask me, Harry? You didn't need to hit yourself just because you forgot to ask me how I was feeling…besides, I was exhausted from the wedding and the blood just added the final touch," Hermione giggled.

Ron looked from Harry to Hermione then back to Harry once more and sighed, "Relax mate, she said she was okay, plus, we can clearly see that she is perfectly fine."

"Yeah, I know, I just can't believe that I never asked…"

"Which is just fine, Harry, you have a lot on your mind—" Hermione began.

"That shouldn't be an excuse, Hermione! I should have said something the moment you appeared…" Harry exclaimed, "Look…Hermione, I'm sorry…"

Hermione remained silent, looking across at Harry who was still trying to avoid any sort of eye contact with her. Ron rolled his eyes and propped himself against the side of his bed, letting a small sigh escape his lips. Harry fidgeted with his fingers before finally breaking the silence he had created.

"I'm sorry, there was no need to lash out at you…Let's just move on and discuss the wedding issue that we came up here to talk about…" Harry apologized, finally looking Hermione in the eyes.

Hermione's expression softened a little, "I shouldn't have said those things, Harry. That was very inconsiderate of me…but like you said, we did come up here to discuss the wedding correct? So…where to start…Oh! Ron, you were there when the commotion start, right?"

"Well, technically I was in the bathroom, so I couldn't tell you exactly what caused the guests to panic…" Ron said, looking down at the floor.

"Okay then…that plan backfired…plus, Harry and I weren't there because—" Hermione started.

"Because you two were snogging…" Ron grinned, trying very hard not to laugh.

"RON!" Hermione and Harry chimed in together.

"Sorry! I was only joking!" Ron said, defensively.

"Anyways, we weren't there because Harry and I were chasing after Thomasina, who seemed to have run off with someone who looked an awful lot like her…almost like her twin...However, they disappeared before we could catch up to them…" Hermione stated, glaring in Ron's direction.

"I said I was joking!" Ron cried.

"Well, that still doesn't mean you had to say it!" she exclaimed, punching him in the arm.

As Hermione continued, Harry found himself thinking back to the dream he had had that very same morning. It was dark out now, but he could still remember every detail, everything word that was said and it was enough to send chills up his spine. Why had he dreamed all that? Was it just his thoughts getting carried away with him? Or did it mean that this was something he had to prevent in the near future? While Harry continued to keep to himself, he never realized that someone was shouting his name.

"HARRY!" Hermione yelled, finally slapping Harry across the leg.

Harry jumped, "WHAT?!"

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past couple of minutes…" Hermione sighed, "I was going to ask you a question…"

"Sorry…" Harry muttered before rising to his feet.

"Where are you going, mate?" Ron couldn't help but ask, even though he knew full well what the answer was going to be.

"Uh…excuse me…I think I need to be alone for a bit…" With that, Harry disappeared out the door, closing it softly behind him.

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked, "Did I say something wrong? I really do hate it when he gets like this…maybe I should go after him…"

"No, I'd leave him be…he has a lot on his mind, right now, and I think it will do him some good if he's left alone for a while…" Ron replied, putting his arms behind his head, "There's really nothing we can do for him, at the moment…This actually kind of reminds me of our fifth year, when we couldn't tell him anything; though, this time, we have nothing to hide…"

"I know what you mean, Ron…I just wish he wouldn't do things like this…he can become very vulnerable, in this state…" Hermione sighed, looking towards the window.

When Harry arrived on the main floor, he noticed that the Weasleys must have ventured inside while they were upstairs, since their voices were considerably louder than the last time. Moving quietly, so that he wouldn't announce his presence, he opened the front door and stepped out. Once outside, Harry walked slowly towards the fence that surrounded the house. Resting his arms across the top beam, events from the wedding to the dream steadily came back to him.

"_I wonder why he was crying…I've never seen Malfoy cry…wait…there was last year when I found him in the bathroom…_"Harry thought to himself, "_I really regret that accident…and to top it all off, what was up with my dream…?_"

As thoughts continued to flow through Harry's mind, he neglected to sense his scar prickling. It wasn't until his head was severely paining him the he took notice but, by then, it was too late. Snapping to his senses, Harry was about to let out a cry of agony when he heard high pitched laughter that sounded like nails on a chalk board. While the laughter continued, Harry frantically looked around the yard before he realized that the laughter was coming from him. Finding his own voice, Harry screamed at the top of his lungs, clutching his head as he felt himself falling towards the ground.

Back in the room, Hermione suddenly stiffened, "_That sounded like…HARRY!_"

With surprising speed, she rushed to the window. Flinging open the curtains, she peered out, scanning the yard until she noticed something rather long twitching on the ground. Hermione unlocked the window, pushed it up, and stuck her head out to get a better view. Looking down again, she shrieked.

"Hermione what is?!" Ron asked, jumping to his feet.

"HARRY!" was all Ron heard before Hermione dashed past him towards the door.

She was out the door and at the stairs before Ron could say anything so, instead, he sprinted after her, literally throwing himself down the staircase in order to keep up with her. Upon arriving on the first floor, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who had obviously heard the commotion, appeared at the foot of the steps.

"What is going on up there and where are you two going in such a hurry?!" Mrs. Weasley cried.

Hermione struggled with her words, "…H-Harry…"

She couldn't stand there any longer. Pushing past the Weasleys, Hermione dashed out the front door followed closely by Ron who was, in turn, followed by his parents. The instant the three of them were out the door, they could clearly see why Hermione had been in such a mad hurry. Lying on the ground in front of them, twisting around in agony was none other than Harry.

"Harry!" Hermione cried, watching as Harry suddenly stopped moving.

Hermione rushed to his side, bending down to see if everything was all right. Before she could ask him anything, she was hit in the chest with such strength that it sent her tumbling backwards quite a few feet. Hitting the ground with a loud thud, Hermione felt the air drain from her lungs. She stayed still for a moment, trying to reclaim her breath, as Mr. Weasley turned on Harry.

"Harry, what is the matter with you!"

Slowly rising to his feet, Harry turned towards them, head facing down.

"Answer me, Harry!" Mr. Weasley shouted again, as the rest of the Weasley family joined to see what was going on.

Harry slowly tilted his head upwards. When they heard the laughter that protruded from his lips, they knew something wasn't right. Glaring up at them, Harry continued to laugh as Mrs. Weasley screamed in terror. Never in her life had she ever dreamed of seeing those eyes again. Those blood-red, searing eyes. This wasn't Harry anymore—this was Voldemort.

Hermione, finally able to rise to a sitting position, gasped softly, "H-Harry?"

"You worthless mudblood," The voice snickered, leaving a horrified expression on Hermione's face as he turned towards the house, "Now, isn't this a darling sight…the whole Weasley family has come to join the party."

Hermione glared, pulling her wand from the holster around her waist. Shakily standing up, she pointed it at Harry's chest, "Get out of Harry's body…"

"Stupid Mudblood, you do realize that if you hit me, you're actually hitting your precious Harry…?" Voldemort teased, looking around at the group.

"Who said I was going to hurt him?" Hermione growled, keeping her wand where it was.

"Heh, I can see it in your eyes, my dear," Voldemort laughed, then, twisting sharply to the right, let out a strangled cry.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" Harry's voice erupted from his throat as he gripped the sides of his head; his eyes flashing back to normal for a few seconds before Voldemort regained his composure, "Stop! You're supposed to be under my control!"

"Harry! Don't let him take control of you! Fight back!" Hermione yelled, still grasping her wand tightly.

"You are under my—STOP! NO, I'M NOT! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HEAD!! I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING THIS TIME!—Oh, really…? What are you…Argghh!—LIKE I'VE BEEN SAYING, **GET**…**THE**…**HELL**…**OUT**…**OF**…**MY**…**HEAD**!" and with that, all was silent.

Still rooted to the spot, Hermione watched with relief as Harry's eyes returned to normal, though she jumped slightly when he let out a scream of pure agony before falling to the ground. Dropping her wand, she rushed to his side and quickly knelt down; Hermione lifted Harry's upper half into her arms and cradled him, trying to calm him down. After a few minutes, Harry went limp and his whole world went dark.


End file.
